CH 40

Never See Each Other Again

Xuan Long did not leave the palace immediately.

He went back to Qiankun Palace.

Xiao Dezi was very surprised to see Xuan Long suddenly come in from outside the courtyard and appear in front of him.

For the last ten days, he knew that Xuan Long was not in the palace, as to where he had gone, Yan Yuan naturally would not tell him. If he had not left through the main door, then he must have gone through a secret passage inside the palace, and it was not strange that there was a secret passage leading to the outside world in the emperor's bedchamber.

Xiao Dezi greeted him with a lurch, “Young Master Han, you're back?"

"En." Xuan Long replied without pausing his steps.

He was dressed in a black robe, with his usual black hat on his head, and with his tall figure, it was hard for Xiao Dezi not to recognise him.

"Where have you been all these days?” As soon as the question was out of his mouth, Xiao Dezi realised that he had overstepped his bounds, for even though Young Master Han had no name and no title, as the person on the emperor's bed, he was still half his master, so it was not his place to ask. Fortunately for him, he did not bother with him and only said tiredly, "Please go and tell him that I am back."

Then Xuan Long entered the door.

Xiao Dezi answered behind him and left to inform Yan Yuan.

During these days when Xuan Long was not in the palace, the bedchamber was cleaned every day on time. All the furnishings were still the same as before, and every corner was scattered with memories of him and Yan Yuan, sweet and sour, bitter and spicy, but in Xuan Long's eyes, they were all sweet.

Now that he has been away for just seven or eight days, when he returned, his state of mind has changed dramatically.

No matter how beautiful his dream was, it was only a false illusion crafted by that person, but why did he still want to seek an answer from Yan Yuan even though he already knew it?

He had to have that person admit it himself.

Xuan Long sat down at the table and slowly placed the jade pendant in his hand on the table.

Yan Yuan came quickly, pushing open the door of the hall and rushing in. He looked Xuan Long up and down, and seeing that he was fine and should not have been injured, he opened his mouth and said:

"Why did you come back so late?"

"It's been almost 10 days."

"Did you get rid of the fox demon?"

Xuan Long looked up at him, trying to find a trace of affection in Yan Yuan's eyes, but his face was full of anxiety and impatience, without even concern, so how could there ever be affection?

Xuan Long withdrew his gaze and replied in a muffled voice: "Not yet."

Yan Yuan: "Why?"

Xuan Long looked at the dust flying in the air, "The fox demon's spiritual power is strong and I cannot get rid of him."

Yan Yuan frowned, "Don't you have ten thousand years of Taoism? Could it be that the fox demon's Tao is even more profound than yours?"

Xuan Long bowed his head and did not answer.

Yan Yuan sensed that something was wrong and approached him, "What's wrong with you? Are you wounded?"

Xuan Long shook his head.

Yan Yuan knelt down in front of Xuan Long, took his hand in his lap, and softened his voice, "Then why do you look so unhappy?"

"......"

"It's okay, if you can't get rid of it, it's good to just come back safely, I'll think of something later. I haven't seen you for so many days, I really miss you, did you miss me?" Xuan Long was very good-tempered, and never used to be angry with Yan Yuan, but there were few times when he was like this. Yan Yuan found it quite strange, so he coaxed him patiently.

Xuan Long lifted his eyes and looked at Yan Yuan's beautiful face, then spat out one word: "Never."

Yan Yuan laughed and raised his hand to tickle Xuan Long's waist, trying to tickle his skin: "I don't believe you."

Xuan Long's eyebrows furrowed lightly as he stood up silently and avoided him.

Yan Yuan's heart suddenly became a little annoyed, he stood up and looked at his back: "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"If you have something to say, just say it, why are you being so petty? I'm busy with court affairs during the day, so it's not easy for me to come over here. I haven't seen you for so many days, and now you're coming back to give me a scowl?"

The towering acacia trees outside the window blocked much of the bright light, and even Xuan Long's back was hidden in the darkness, as if it would disappear in front of Yan Yuan at any moment along with the coming night.

"You already have an empress, why do you still say... you want to be married to me."

The man's voice was so low, so hoarse.

Yan Yuan should have had many ways to make Xuan Long happy, but at this moment, hearing the other party ask this question, a lot of panic came out of his heart uncontrollably, and his mind was empty for a moment.

"What?"

"You already have an empress." Xuan Long repeated the words slowly, "Why do you say that you want to be with me, as husband and wife."

It was clearly such a faint question, but it seemed like every word was weeping blood, and every word smashed into Yan Yuan's heart.

The knot in Yan Yuan's throat rolled, not expecting this day to come so unexpectedly. He had originally planned to wait for Ning Zhiyu's illness to be cured, then find a random excuse to send Xuan Long away, but who would have guessed that he would find out in advance.

With Xuan Long's nature, he would never have asked if he had not already confirmed the truth of the matter. Since he had asked, he truly knew. It did not matter where he had found out, what mattered was how to appease him, "You know everything?..."

"Why would you lie to me?" Xuan Long turned his back on him and whispered.

“A'Po... listen to my explanation." Yan Yuan stepped forward to tug his wrist.

This time Xuan Long did not hide, he was willing to listen to his explanation, as long as Yan Yuan spoke, he would believe it.

But such a skillful speaker, who grabbed his sleeve and stammered for a long time, did not say anything.

"I..."

When Xuan Long saw how nervous and uneasy he was, he opened his mouth for him, "For the sake of the dragon scales, right?"

Yan Yuan subconsciously shook his head, "No..."

Xuan Long's turquoise eyes were as cold and demonic as usual, so he should not be able to see any emotions, but at this moment, Yan Yuan was staring at those eyes of his and he could sense the pain of the other party from the depths of his heart, as if they had some strange telepathic connection, and even Yan Yuan's heart inexplicably felt pain.

He deeply understood that if he could not give a reasonable explanation, Xuan Long would definitely leave him. He did not want this man to leave him, and as for the reason, Yan Yuan instinctively attributed it to Ning Zhiyu.

"I admit that at first I approached you for the dragon scales, but later, during the time I spent with you, I have long since fallen in love with you... A'Yu is my legitimate empress. I have a guilty conscience towards him, and thought that if I could cure him of his illness and feel less guilty, I would be able to be with you in the future with peace of mind. I was afraid of your anger, so I didn't dare to tell you, I only dared to claim that it was a friend who was sick and needed dragon scales. You must have listened to some slanderous rumours and misunderstood me..."

Xuan Long lowered his eyes and pulled his hand back from Yan Yuan: "... You are still lying to me."

"I'm not! Really not! A'Po, believe me, I'm not lying to you." Yan Yuan fiercely hugged Xuan Long's waist from behind, his voice a little hoarse.

Xuan Long tilted his head, waiting for the unfamiliar heat in his eyes to subside, his eyes falling on the window, "I saw it with my own eyes, you were intimate with him."

"I heard... you call his name in your dreams with my own ears. You must have loved him very much to have taken such lengths to deceive me. It must have been very hard for you all these days." Xuan Long had never opened his mouth to say so much to Yan Yuan, who had thought that this moment would come at the time of parting. 

Yan Yuan could no longer find an excuse to explain, so with the panic in his heart, he begged, “A'Po… A'Po... I know I'm wrong, give me another chance."

Xuan Long lowered his head, looked at the pair of white and beautiful hands circling his waist, and pried them away little by little.

Yan Yuan refused to let go, so Xuan Long exerted his strength and pushed harder. The two arms shackled him tightly, strangling Xuan Long's abdomen with a dull pain.

Xuan Long's face turned white: “... Let go."

"I won't let go, you'll leave if I do, won't you?" Yan Yuan's chest pressed against Xuan Long's back and he spoke with a sobbing voice, "I forbid you to go, I forbid you to leave me."

Even Yan Yuan himself didn't know why he was so upset.

It was as if Xuan Long's departure had emptied his heart.

Xuan Long could have pried Yan Yuan away with a little spiritual power, but he still could not bear to hurt him. Bewildered, he spoke, "You lied to me, why do you still want to keep me?"

"I don't care, I just won't let you go." Yan Yuan's childish nature was starting again.

He always treated Xuan Long with such recklessness, and Xuan Long had never been able to deal with him.

Not in his last life, and not in this one.

"Just let go, I have something for you."

Yan Yuan vaguely guessed what was going on, and slowly let go of his grip.

Xuan Long walked over to the table, and with a flourish of his hand, he conjured up the black iron dagger he was used to, then lifted up the left side of his wide sleeve robe, revealing a length of his arm.

Xuan Long's body easily arouses one's sexual desire. His waist and abdomen were smooth and tight, and he would unconsciously tense with Yan Yuan's intrusion. His hips were firm, his legs were straight and slender, and his arms were naturally as good as exquisite works of art.

Yan Yuan watched his actions in bewilderment as Xuan Long's palm slid over his left arm and the soft skin was covered by a layer of hard mystical scales. With the sharp edge of his blade, he cut off a piece of dragon scale and put it into the ink-coloured wooden box that had just been set on the table.

Then came a second, a third, a fourth... That beautiful arm gradually became a bloody blur, with blood dripping to the ground from the tip of the blade. Xuan Long's face was ashen, his thick black eyelashes trembling slightly from the pain, and his breathing getting heavier and heavier.

In the past, he was afraid that Yan Yuan would worry about him, so he plucked the scales behind his back, but now he knows that Yan Yuan will not worry about him, so there is no need to avoid it. The reason he stayed like this is for the dragon scales, so he gave them to him.

From now on, he will never be moved by anyone again.

“A'Po... " Yan Yuan stared at Xuan Long's action. He felt that he should stop him, but when he thought of Ning Zhiyu, who could not even get out of bed yet, he was like a wooden man who could not move.

Xuan Long plucked dozens of scales in a row, maybe thirty, maybe forty, or perhaps even more, Yan Yuan didn't count them. In any case, he had nearly plucked all of the scales from his entire arm, and without the scales covering it, it was just raw flesh and blood, and the air was filled with a strong, cold fragrance.

Xuan Long's face did not change as he shook down his sleeve to cover his injured arm. His right hand picked up the wooden box on the table and handed it to Yan Yuan, saying in a low, mute voice, "The scales from my heart are gone, the ones from elsewhere are weaker, but they are better than nothing. Take it."

“A'Po..." Yan Yuan blinked, and tears rolled down his face.

Xuan Long was clearly struggling to even speak himself. He raised his hand, using his sleeve to awkwardly wipe Yan Yuan's tears, whispering, "Don't cry. I know you have difficulties, I don't blame you."

"Then don't go..." Yan Yuan said in a trembling voice as he leaned in to hug him.

Xuan Long shook his head and pushed him away gently, "Although I don't blame you, in the future, I don't want to see you again."